Dozens of people suffer from teargas inhalation in Bil’in

Friday 24 October 2008

Report by Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall and Settlements

A protest was launched today (24th October)after the Friday prayer in Bil’in and was joined by international and Israeli activists to allow Palestinians to pick olives from the trees on their land.

A delegation of journalists and students from Belgium, Students For a Just Peace in the Middle East, joined the demonstration in solidarity with the village in their struggle against the Wall and settlement building. Another group from the Ireland Solidarity Movement with the Palestinian People joined in addition to this group, as well as groups from England and Denmark. Palestinian flags and banners were raised calling to remove the illegal wall and settlements, stop land confiscation, remove checkpoints and road blocks, the release of all of the Palestinian detainees and the halt of all the settlers’ violence against farmers during the olive harvest.

The demonstrators marched in the village chanting against the discriminatory policies of the occupation and calling for a national unity among the Palestinians, while they were carrying ladders and tools to pick olives. When the protest reached the gate, protesters tried to access the land to pick olives, but they were stopped by sound grenades and teargas canisters. Dozens suffered from gas inhalation.

A week ago, the protesters succeeded in removing a gate in the wall and are now using it in a parking lot for cars in the village. The Popular Committee said about this incident “Any tool that the occupation uses to oppress us, we will use it for our own services.” Palestinians have the determination and the belief that this wall will be removed.

Israeli navy escalates attacks against Gaza’s fishermen

Wednesday 22nd October, 2008 – off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

Three international human rights observers (HRO’s) accompanied three Palestinian fishing vessels from the port of Gaza City, as they trawled offshore in Palestinian territorial waters.

At about 08:30 (approximately 8 nautical miles from the coast) a Palestinian fishing boat with an international HRO on-board was intercepted by an Israeli gunboat. Despite the international presence, made clear via VHF radio following a request by the Palestinian captain, the Israeli gunboat started to fire its machine guns very close to the fishing boat. This of course constitutes a breach of the current ceasefire agreement. Some of the bullets were hitting the water, not further than three metres from the bow or the stern. There was at least one occasion where an explosion was heard behind the fishing boat, probably from some kind of charge thrown to damage the nets. After being attacked for several minutes the fishing boat stopped. The Israeli captain shouted orders or threats to the fishermen, while the machine guns were pointing at the boat and finally the fishing boat turned and began to sail towards the coast.

At the same time, about ten nautical miles from the coast, another Palestinian fishing boat carrying a second international HRO was experiencing a similar assault. Shots were being fired extremely close to the fishing boat, just two metres or less from the boat itself. The attack continued until 10:20. The navy fired different types of weapons including a cannon. They shot several times in an attempt to destroy the net and its metal cables. Finally, the fishermen retrieved their net from the water earlier than they would have otherwise done.

Meanwhile, the first boat changed its course again, sailing away from the coast and trying to approach a fellow Palestinian fishing boat which was being attacked by another Israeli gunboat (numbered 912). The initial gunboat repeated its attack, but stopped after a while and just followed. All four boats were heading in a southerly direction, more or less parallel to the coast. Later at about 10:30, gunboat “912” attacked the fishing boat with shots, again fired very close to its stern, forcing the fishermen to retrieve their nets and head towards shore. For the next hour or more, the fishermen attempted to drop their nets again at least twice, but were prevented from doing so by the shooting from the Israeli gunboat. They managed to do so only when they were even closer to shore (about 5.5 nautical miles).

From about 11:00 to 11:30 a Palestinian fishing vessel carrying a third international HRO was harassed in a very similar fashion by an Israeli gunboat marked “832”, approximately five nautical miles off the coast of northern Gaza. At about 11:20, in a different location, the boat accompanied by the second HRO suffered another attack, and yet another at 12:30.

At 13:00 the naval gunboat “832” withdrew from the area where the boat with the third HRO was trawling (about nine nautical miles offshore) and was replaced by yet another gunboat, this time marked “840”. This fishing boat then experienced a two-hour long onslaught which lasted until nearly 15:00. This included a volley of shells fired from the cannon mounted on the foredeck of the gunboat from 14:15 to 14:20 as it advanced on the fishing boat. The flash from the cannon was observed by the HRO onboard. Gunboat “840” proceeded to pursue the fishing vessel as it headed north-west, firing intermittently and at one point deploying an explosive device in the water. When the engine on the fishing boat failed, “840” circled it repeatedly until the fishermen managed to complete their repairs, then opened fire once more as soon as it got underway. This fishing vessel stayed determinedly on its chosen course until it reached a distance of twelve nautical miles offshore.

In the afternoon, the first fishing boat was again in the north, off the shore of Gaza, when the HRO on-board noticed an Israeli gunboat harassing a fleet of six Palestinian fishing boats. When the observer’s boat went south and approached the fleet, it was also attacked with a barrage of shots across its path. However, it continued without changing its course. Later in the afternoon, about seven nautical miles from the coast, the attacks on the second boat continued every hour, until 16:30. Most of these attacks were carried out by gunboat “912”.

Finally in the evening, after sunset at about 17:30, the HRO on the first boat noticed something like a red flare in the sky. A few minutes later a spotlight was seen for some seconds. Then at about 17:40 an Israeli gunboat with no navigation lights (in clear violation of international maritime protocol), suddenly approached the fishing boat and started to shoot over it (also using tracer bullets). Then the Israeli gunboat used its spotlight, obviously noticing the international human rights observer wearing a fluorescent vest, but despite this began to circle the Palestinian fishing boat, creating waves which destabilised it, making it difficult for the fishermen to pull in their nets. Although it was obvious that the fishermen were preparing to leave, the Israeli gunboat continued to shoot extremely close, in front of the bow, over the roof and particularly behind the stern of the fishing boat putting in risk the life of the fishermen that were working in the immediate vicinity. The attack finally ended only after the nets were pulled in and the fishing boat started to sail full speed towards the port of Gaza.

The HRO on the second boat reported seeing a number of fishing boats come under attack during the day, but none more so than the one he was accompanying. It is probably no small coincidence that this was the same boat which was severely damaged by the Israeli navy a few weeks ago when it was purposefully rammed by a gunboat. By the end of the day this HRO had counted nineteen assaults on his vessel alone, three of which came within a metre of the boat – closer than ever before. This included three incidents of cannon fire, also very close to the boat he was on. He noticed that the Israeli commander received orders by phone prior to the closest shooting as if there was a new, more aggressive strategy against the Palestinian fisherman, despite the international presence. It is important to see if this is really a new strategy, or just a reflection of the soldiers’ mood on this particular day. However, shooting so many times and in such close proximity to the boats could easily have resulted in one of them sustaining a direct hit. Fortunately, at the end of the day no-one was injured, no boats were damaged and the fishermen had a decent catch.

Free Gaza Movement to set sail again

To view the Free Gaza Movement website click here

On October 28, 2008, the Free Gaza Movement will set sail again for Gaza. On board will be a Nobel Peace Prize winner, five physicians, a member of the Israeli Knesset, and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The boat will again carry 26 passengers and crew to the port of Gaza.

“We’ve spent the past month making sure that our boat is better and stronger, because the weather is getting more severe. Since we promised the people of Gaza we would return, we wanted to make sure we would return safely”, said Derek Graham, first mate on board the boat.

Mairead Maguire, the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize winner for her work for peace in Northern Ireland and one of the passengers on board stated, “We sail to Gaza to show the people we love and care for them. What less can we do whilst our governments remain silent and inactive in face of such preventable suffering of the women and children of Gaza and Palestine.”

Also on board is Mustafa Barghouti, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and Jamal Zahalka, , a member of the Israeli Knesset (parliament). Both Palestinians are determined to forge alliances with their countrymen in Gaza, something they have not been able to do, because Israel has closed all land borders to this besieged people.

On this occasion the siege-breakers will deliver 6 cubic meters of medicine, as a gift from the European Campaign to End the on Siege on Gaza. Dr Arafat Shoukri, head of the Campaign stated, “This is just the first consignment of medical supplies we hope to deliver. Our choice of medicines has been in response to a specific request from the health authorities in Gaza. Many basic items such as cough syrup for children are non-existent in the territory and we are happy to make them available. Our Campaign will also dispatch a number of medical specialists to the Gaza to assist in the worsening humanitarian crisis brought on by the siege.”

Greta Berlin, one of the organizers reiterated the goals of the Free Gaza Movement, “We intend to break Israel’s blockade as often as we can. This second trip is just one of many we intend to organize over the next year. We have lawyers, members of Parliament and other professionals already on our passenger lists for upcoming voyages.”

Seven injured at Ni’lin demonstration

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

In the continued spirit of resistance, 100 Palestinians along with several International and Israeli activists marched to demonstrate against the construction of the Apartheid Wall in the West Bank village of Ni’lin.

The demonstrators met around 15.30 and moved close to the construction site when Israeli soldiers began to scream at them to go back while throwing sound grenades. The demonstrators spread throughout the olive groves while the Israeli soldiers shot tear gas canisters directly at the people.

The soldiers continued to throw sound grenades, and shoot tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets until 18.00. When the soldiers left the construction site, many protesters went down to disrupt the day’s work on the wall.

Attempting to halt the building of the Apartheid Wall, which will annex much of Ni’in’s privately-owned land, demonstrators filled a recently cleared path for the wall with rocks. While the action of destroying the path was taking place, the soldiers returned to the site to shoot more gas and bullets.

The demonstrators went back towards the fields and the demonstration was declared over after the Israeli soldiers had left around 18.30. While most demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, seven Palestinians were shot with rubber coated steel bullets.

The importance of the resistance in Ni’lin is apparent with continuous demonstrations taking place against the Apartheid Wall.

Fourth day of intimidation in Azmut by illegal Israeli settlers

On Monday 20 October farmers in Azmut were subject to a fourth day running of intimidation and intrusion onto their land as they harvested their olives near the illegal settlement of Elon Moreh.

At 15:00 international activists and farmers from the village of Azmut to the east of Nablus city witnessed 3 settlers patrol in their olive groves just 100 metres north of where they were harvesting their olive trees.

This is the fourth consecutive day settlers from the illegal settlement of Elon Moreh have attacked and intimidated residents of the village of Azmut. In a campaign of terror settlers have so far forced farmers from their land, damaged a vehicle and violently attacked a elderly farmer and his family.

Palestinian Presidant Mahmoud Abbas has already stated this year’s olive harvest as a ‘dangerous escalation’ in violence from settlers that has seen 429 incidents in the first half of 2008, against 551 in all of 2007. The harvest in the Nablus region has already seen attacks in the villages of Burin, Deir Hatab, Tell, Huwwara, Kafr Qallil and Awarta. As the occupying force the Israeli army are obliged to provide protection to Palestinians, however in reality the army are at best slow to respond to reported attacks and, as seen in Asira al Qibliya recently, complicit and active in supporting terror attacks from settlers against Palestinians.